The inspection you should not skip, and the two you can

The option period in Texas is short, usually seven to ten days, and it is the only window in which you can walk away for any reason and keep most of your money. Spending it well is the most valuable thing a buyer does. Spending it on the wrong inspections is one of the most common mistakes.

Foundation, always

Central Texas sits on expansive clay. It swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and it moves houses a little every year. A general inspector will note cracks; a structural engineer will tell you whether they matter. On any slab house older than fifteen years, we recommend the engineer. It costs a few hundred dollars and it is the difference between a cosmetic repair and a forty-thousand-dollar pier job.

The sewer scope

A camera down the main drain line. On any house built before 1975, this is not optional. Cast iron pipes corrode from the inside, oak roots find every joint, and replacing a line under a slab is a project measured in weeks. The scope takes an hour.

Roof and hail

Ask for the roof's age and the last insurance claim. A roof over fifteen years old will raise your premium and may be uninsurable with some carriers. Hail is a fact of life here; a good inspector will tell you whether the last storm was already claimed.

What you can usually skip

• A separate HVAC inspection, if the general inspector runs the system and reports temperature splits.
• A pool inspection on a pool under ten years old with maintenance records. Ask for the records instead.

Everything else, from termites to the septic on acreage, depends on the house. Your agent's job is to tell you which ones matter for this specific property, and to say so before the option period starts ticking.

The cheapest inspection is the one you did not need. The most expensive one is the one you skipped.